Midnight at the Boar's Head |
Published on Monday, 09 July 2012 | |||||
Frequented by Falstaff and, who knows, perhaps by the Bard himself, the Boar’s Head tavern in Cheapside is the historical setting for this boisterous Shakespeare remix. The words are almost all William’s, but the storyline certainly isn’t; plundering lines of dialogue from across the Complete Works, the Fine Chisel theatre company’s brand-new play features beer-swilling, foot-stomping, and fusillade of party poppers. Sacrilege? Maybe. But it’s rollicking good fun, all the same. Admittedly, it won’t be easy to conjure an Elizabethan tavern in the canteen-like setting of Zoo Southside’s cabaret bar... but if their earlier run at the Brighton Fringe is any guide, their live folk music will soon get you clapping your hands and singing along. The Brighton show was a five-star masterpiece, wrote our reviewer Naomi Dixon, reaching out to those unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s work and still showing Bardic admirers a thoroughly good time. And Fine Chisel do have a fine pedigree at the Fringe; last year’s (tenuous) reworking of The Winter’s Tale was “charming, witty and ridiculously entertaining”, according to our resident Shakespeare buff Ellen Macpherson. If you’re looking for something a bit more conventional, they’re also reprising their 2010 play Firing Blanks over at Zoo’s main venue, while their brand-new show Unplugged promises further chaos back in the cabaret bar. As for Midnight at the Boar’s Head, expect to be called on to join in the madness… and expect to leave with a smile on your face, after a joyful rollercoaster of a show. |
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FROM OUR ARCHIVES
These are archived reviews of shows from Edinburgh 2012. We keep our archives online as a courtesy to performers, and for readers who'd like to research previous years' reviews.